British Defense Minister Ben Wallace demanded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy start showing more gratitude if he wants to continue receiving military assistance at a press briefing Wednesday.
Wallace took issue with Zelenskyy’s growing list of demands, including the addition of Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Ukrainian president is not satisfied with verbal promises, and wants a solid timetable for the country’s induction into the defense alliance, Leading Britain’s Conversation (LBC) reported Wednesday. (RELATED TO: Zelenskyy Calls Decision On NATO Expansion ‘Absurd’ And Weak)
“Whether we like it or not, people want to see a bit of gratitude,” Wallace said at a NATO summit briefing.
Wallace shared that Zelenskyy handed him a list of weapons requests during a trip to Ukraine last year, and expressed some irritation at the episode.
“You know, we’re not Amazon,” Wallace said, “I told them that last year, when I drove 11 hours to be given a list.”
UK Defence Secretary Suggests Ukraine Could Express More Gratitude: ‘We’re Not Amazon’ – The Guardian
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has proposed that Ukraine should express more gratitude towards the West for its assistance, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr… pic.twitter.com/mdwryXJnaS
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The British Defense Minister rejected the notion the country has grown wary of assisting the Ukrainians, but suggested Zelenskyy still needs to earn support from apprehensive foreign politicians.
“You know, my counsel to the Ukrainians is sometimes: look, you are persuading countries to give up their own stocks,” Wallace said.
“And yes, your war is a noble war and we see it as you waging a war not just for yourselves but for our freedoms. But sometimes you’ve got to persuade lawmakers on the Hill in America, you’ve got to persuade doubting politicians in other countries that it’s worth it and it’s worthwhile and that they’re getting something for it. Whether you like it or not, that’s just the reality of it,” Wallace added.
Wallace added that Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO seems inevitable, and that it’s a matter of when rather than if.
“The win here for Ukraine is the sort of cultural acceptance that Ukraine belongs to NATO,” Wallace said, “The word ‘belongs’ implies fate, implies it is going to happen. It is not an if, it is a when.”
Zelenskyy emphasized his gratitude for the support his country has received amid the ongoing conflict with Russia during a press conference.
“I believe we were always grateful to the United Kingdom,” Zelenskyy said according to Independent. “We were always grateful to prime ministers and to the minister for defence, because the people in the United Kingdom have always supportive – we are grateful for this.”
“I didn’t know what he meant and how else we should be grateful,” Zelenskyy added. “We could get up in the morning and express our gratitude personally to the minister… Maybe the minister wants something special, but I think we have wonderful relations [with the UK].”